8.15.2016

The next big thing

I have taken to my blog today because I'm super excited to tell you about two new projects I have coming up!

The first is pretty obvious as you can see from the revamped logo above, I'll get to that in a moment.

The second project... My video game repro shop Radd Repro will be branching out beyond game cartridges. I'm going to begin designing and building arcade cabinets! This one is slowly getting off the ground with help from my former Gaming FM co-conspirator and pal Danyon Carpenter. We're super excited to start building our prototype cab, the format of which I'll keep under wraps for now. However when it's done, the good folks at Pixel Blast Arcade in Lisle, IL have graciously agreed to play host to our amazing machine. In addition, Radd Repro now has a blog so that I can chronicle the building process of the prototype cabinet and also post various other shop updates. This way you won't need a social media account to keep up with the latest I'm cooking up. Stay tuned!

Back to the first project. Yes, you are seeing correctly, I'm starting another podcast. You're probably aware of my first podcast, Gaming AM, which was a spinoff of Gaming FM, the video game radio station I helped run for 5(?-ish) years. Anyway, once I had about 10 episodes of Gaming AM under the belt, I felt I was getting into the groove and really just enjoying the hell out of it. So much so, my brain began brimming with ideas to expand and do even more with this newly discovered entertainment medium which I find so gratifying.

I listen to many podcasts, but there's one in particular from which I will call my inspiration. Talkin' Toons with Rob Paulsen. For those who don't know, Rob Paulsen is a voice actor whose unmistakeable charm I first heard in the somewhat minor role of Air Raid in an episode of The Transformers. When I heard his voice, and really many of the voices in the animated series' of the 1980's I became obsessed with finding more of their work and learning about their backgrounds. Like video game composers, voice actors are another group of unsung heroes who in my mind don't get enough recognition. Anyway after Transformers, I hoped I'd hear Rob's voice again. The next time I heard him, it was in a much larger role as Raphael in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He then appeared as Pinky in Pinky and the Brain, Yakko Warner in Animaniacs, plus countless others. Anyway, Talkin' Toons is a podcast where Rob, who is an absolutely delightful host with such wit and positivity, interviews other voice actors and gives them the recognition they deserve. They talk about the voice acting industry, share stories and memories from jobs they've worked on, and it's an absolute delight to listen to. When I listen to it, I point and say, that's what I wanna do.

But alas I'm not a voice actor, so I suppose I can't follow that dream... Ah, but I am a video game industry veteran. Via Gaming FM, and EGM before that, I came to know a number of people who have interesting stories and experiences that they love to talk about, and people would certainly love to hear about. Those people know other people I don't, and so on... Maybe I could make this pipe dream a reality. My first attempt at this was via Gaming AM. I arranged an opportunity to sit down with Mike Vallas, a former EGM editor. We had such a good time, the podcast lasted five hours. This felt right. So the rest as they say is history. Don't misunderstand, Gaming AM also felt right and I had an amazing time doing it! It was my full intention to keep both of my podcasts going. However, raising my daughter is priority one and with Radd Repro branching out, the time management of a second podcast was going to be difficult. So sadly, I have parted ways with my beloved first podcast. I had previously posted about this on the Gaming AM blog, so at the risk of repeating myself, you can instead read my post there at your leisure.

So the format of the podcast will be as follows: Me talking to people. Sharing stories, discussing nerd culture, and our experiences within it. Wikipedia sometimes doesn't quite do history justice, so it's my way of giving people their well deserved time in the spotlight. Sometimes I'll interview folks who work in the industry, from big shots to bums you've never heard of, but who I feel deserve their due for their hard work and contributions to the world of nerd culture. Sometimes I'll interview just my pals from the 'hood who share a mutual love for being the nerds we all are.

So that's it. My first guest is already lined up and you'll be seeing this very soon! Please look forward to it! Thanks for visiting, and please follow me on social media if you are interested in updates. Radd's Basement: Nerd Culture Podcast is on Facebook and Twitter. Please Like and Follow, it means so much, and also thank you for taking the time visit today!